The Christmas Story
by BaronessBlixen
Summary: When Daphne overhears the two anes talking she hears something she never thought possible. Now all she needs to do is find out what it all means - and what she feels herself. A belated Christmas story.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: I did not manage to write individual Christmas stories this year and I am so sorry for that. This is dedicated to all my fellow writers and in particular to iloveromance, Kristen3, leighann415 and crazymonkeys. You guys are awesome human beings and you inspire me!

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><p>Nothing would have changed had Daphne not forgotten her scarf at home. It was the week before Christmas and everything was stressful enough as it was. The weather, however, did not seem to care. The cold hit them in the middle of the night without warning and in the morning the first layers of snow had settled on every possible surface. The gentle whiteness could have been a beautiful distraction, but Daphne simply lacked the time. Gifts had to be bought, food had to be prepared and a stubborn Mr. Crane, who battled a cold, had to be taken care of. This Christmas the snow was nothing more than a nuisance.<p>

"I still need to pick up your father's pills," Daphne informed both Dr. Cranes who seemed eager to get her out of the house, "Do you need anything else why I'm out there, Dr. Crane?" Daphne put on her coat and searched for her gloves in the pockets.

"Now that you mention it…" Still in search of her gloves, Daphne let Dr. Crane rattle on about needing this and that; she knew from experience that in the end he would decide to write it down for her anyway.

"Is that all?" Daphne asked automatically.

"Yes. I'll better write it down, though. I would hate for you to go out twice in this dreadful weather." Daphne rolled her eyes and caught the younger Dr. Crane looking at her. He quickly looked away, as he often did. Daphne couldn't help but smile at his continuing shyness around her.

"You could go out yourself, you know." The younger Dr. Crane said.

"I don't mind, Dr. Crane. I have to go out anyway." She touched his arm in a friendly manner and took the note the elder Dr. Crane held out to her. She couldn't tell him that part of the reason why she needed to go out was so she could pick up his Christmas present. Distracted by the note and the younger Dr. Crane it happened; Daphne finally found her gloves, completely forgot about her scarf and simply left. She didn't have to wait for the elevator and only when she stepped outside where the wind bit her in the face did she notice the missing scarf.

"Oh bloody hell." She mumbled and turned back around. Upstairs she could hear the two brothers' voices through the closed door. Daphne made a mental note to quickly dash inside, pick up her scarf and leave before either of them could even direct another word at her.

"Daphne is not your personal assistant." Daphne's hand rested on the door knob as she caught the voices from inside. She knew she wasn't supposed to hear this; despite the fact that they were talking about her.

"This again, Niles?"

"What if she slips outside? What if-"

"Your infatuation with Daphne is getting old." Frasier interrupted his brother. Outside the door Daphne gasped. Dr. Crane infatuated? With her?

"It's not an infatuation. I love her, Frasier." Daphne thought her knees would no longer support her. For a moment she was unable to even breathe; her whole world tipped sideways so that nothing was as she'd known it before.

"Don't be ridiculous, Niles. How can you be in love with her?" The words didn't hurt Daphne because she thought the same thing. He had never said anything. Never shown any indication that he had feelings for her. And how could he have? Most of the time he had been married! Caught in her own web of thoughts Daphne forgot to listen to what the two men were saying inside. Carefully she pressed her ear against the door to hear better, but they were silent suddenly. All she could hear was the constant drum of her own heart. It seemed so loud that she was afraid they could hear it inside the apartment.

"What did you get dad for Christmas?" Just like that. They were no longer talking about her. Daphne knew she had missed a crucial part of that conversation. Or maybe she had imagined it all? She was certain Dr. Crane had talked of love. He loved her. Mentally repeating what she'd heard she couldn't grasp her own feelings. These words caused a strange emotion inside her. Like something had been opened by these words. Afraid of what any of this could mean, Daphne stepped away from the door. Her scarf was forgotten once again. She needed answers; she needed help. Often when she had a problem she would ask Dr. Crane. This time he himself was the problem. Just thinking about him now felt different. It felt almost new. She was beginning to see a new person, a new Dr. Crane. Daphne knew she needed answers and she needed them quickly.

Luckily Daphne knew one person who was well educated in all things concerning relationships: Roz.

**Tbc**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: I meant for this to be a two-parter… and then I wrote and wrote and now I'm sorry! Hope you enjoy anyway.

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><p>Daphne forced her way against the wind – and missed her scarf. As she made her way to Café Nervosa, where she hoped to run into Roz, she remembered all the things she should be doing instead. There were several chores on her list from Dr. Crane and she hadn't even looked at them yet. She needed to pick up the younger Dr. Crane's gift and she was no longer sure it was a good idea. He had been going on about this new tie shop for weeks and so one day Daphne went there, told them she was a friend of Dr. Crane's and couldn't they design one specifically for him? They were ecstatic to help since Dr. Crane was such a good customer. Now Daphne doubted this was the right gift. Was it good enough? Did it send wrong signals? She was so confused she walked past Café Nervosa. Luckily, it made her run straight into Roz.<p>

"Daphne, wait!"

"Roz?"

"Why are you in such in a hurry?"

"I- I was going to Nervosa."

"That's the other direction."

"What?" Roz looked at her friend; Daphne looked disheveled and stressed, sad even. This wasn't like her at all.

"Daphne, are you all right?"

"I was actually hoping to run into you. I need your help."

"That sounds intriguing, but not out here."

Inside Nervosa, Daphne breathed in deeply, taking in the comforting smell of coffee. She began to feel like herself for a moment. She ordered a coffee and a muffin. While Roz talked to someone from the station, she sat down at a table and just waited. She tried not to think about Dr. Crane and his words. Unfortunately they kept coming back to her like a song that was stuck on repeat in her mind.

"You've been aggressively staring at this muffin for minutes now." Roz said as she finally sat down as well. Daphne hadn't even noticed and smiled sheepishly.

"Roz, I need to ask you something."

"Eat that muffin. That's all I can say."

"It's not about muffins. I found – earlier today someone said something and it made me think about something. So I was wondering… if I wanted to find out something about someone, how would I do it?"

"You completely lost me. Who said what and why?"

"It's not important right now, but if, say, I want to find out if I have feelings for someone… how do I do that?"

"This would be easier if I knew who you were talking about!" Daphne looked around, suspicious someone might overhear.

"I overheard Dr. Crane tell his brother- he said… you know, he said that…" She couldn't say the words out loud. Her mind was screaming them, yet her mouth refused to say them.

"My lunch break isn't that long. If you want my help, I need to know what this is about."

"Dr. Crane said he loves me!" Daphne covered her mouth with her hands. She said it. Someone else knew now, too. It was no longer a secret she had to carry around by herself.

"He finally told you?" The only surprise in Roz' voice pointed towards Dr. Crane telling her about his feelings, not his feelings per se. Daphne gasped.

"What do you mean? Did you know? And he didn't exactly tell me. He was talking to his brother and I came back for my scarf-"

"You're not wearing a scarf. And yes I knew. Everyone knew."

"I couldn't go in! I heard them talking and that's when I heard. What do you mean everyone?"

"Everyone who has ever seen Niles look at you. You should really talk to him about this."

"I know, I just… I don't know how. I wasn't supposed to hear any of this. I- I don't know what I feel for him." Roz took a sip from her coffee before she addressed Daphne again. The time in between seemed to stretch endlessly. What if Roz couldn't help her? Daphne was at a total loss. She liked Dr. Crane, of course, but she didn't know how deep her feelings for him ran. She never had to worry about this.

"You need to talk to him. What else can you do?"

"I don't know. I thought you could give me some advice." This was all so childish, Daphne realized. Of course Roz was right; she needed to talk to Dr. Crane, tell him the truth and ask him what all of this meant. Just in case he really was in love with her, though, she wished she could understand her own feelings beforehand.

"Why did he never say anything?" Daphne swallowed the tears that threatened her suddenly.

"You never wondered why he always stands so close to you? Does crazy things like smell your hair?" Daphne blushed. She knew Dr. Crane liked her. She'd simply figured he liked her as a friend. Maybe he found her attractive, but that didn't equal love. And he had told his brother that he loved her.

"I thought he was polite."

"You know there is something else you can try: kiss him."

"What?"

"Well, you can tell a lot by kissing someone. Niles is a pretty good kisser, too."

"You've kissed him?" Not only was Daphne surprised by what Roz was saying, she felt something akin to jealousy. She herself had kissed Niles once, too. Back at the Snow Ball when they pretended to be a couple. The kiss had been a game of pretend, so it didn't really count, though. At least she had always told herself that.

"Just once to spite him. Don't tell him, but he kisses better than Frasier." Roz smiled into her coffee cup. Daphne didn't like what she was hearing and seeing. Just the thought of Dr. Crane and Roz in any kind of romantic relationship unnerved her. To distract herself from that unwanted mental picture she tried to come up with an excuse to kiss Dr. Crane. And then it hit her!

"Mistletoe!" Daphne finally had a plan.

**Tbc**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Thank you for reading! Finally the last part. And just so you know I deliberately ended it like this :)

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><p>Now that she had a plan, Daphne couldn't wait to set it in motion. Roz seemed confused with Daphne's sudden sense of urgency, though.<p>

"There's just so much to do." With a big smile on her face Daphne left Nervosa. She still missed her scarf and the cold seemed to have intensified. Mentally she went through the steps. First go here, then go there and pick up that. Yes, Daphne had a plan. She didn't allow herself to think about Dr. Crane just yet. After all she knew now how to figure out her feelings. No need to get her head involved just yet.

When Daphne returned it was already dark out. Or whatever qualified as darkness during Christmas time. Lights went off seemingly everywhere. Even grumpy people could be seen wearing small smiles when they walked past colorful lights. The two Dr. Cranes preferred subdued decorations and these dull white lights. Daphne was with Mr. Crane on that subject; the more the better. She loved how enthusiastic the old man was about Christmas.

Christmas cheer greeted her as she stepped inside the apartment. Dr. Crane kept trying to get rid of the flashiest decorations. Apparently he wasn't home because Daphne spotted a few new shenanigans Mr. Crane must have found somewhere. She smiled and carried the groceries into the kitchen. She quickly unpacked and there it was: a mistletoe. For a moment she just stared at it. Her plan, she knew that, was beyond childish. The sensible thing was to ask Dr. Crane about what she'd heard. For all she knew it could have meant something completely different. Except that deep down she knew it was true. It was like all this time Dr. Crane had been a puzzle to her and she'd never seen the whole picture before. It had always been blurry. Now the last pieces were added and it all made sense. Daphne saw it clearly; the man behind his words, the man behind his actions. Why had she not seen it sooner?

It was obvious that neither Mr. nor Dr. Crane were home. Daphne decided to use the time to find a perfect spot for the mistletoe. In trying to figure out a spot where she could be sure Dr. Crane would be standing, Daphne realized he usually tried to keep close to her. All these realizations came so quickly that Daphne could have sworn she was on a roller coaster. Currently going down at the highest speed possible. But she didn't crash. Just when she thought she couldn't take these feelings anymore, she felt a little flutter. It was the thought of Dr. Crane's smile that worked its way into her mind. Daphne just stood there and wished she could entangle this emotional mess.

"No. This has to stop now." She whispered to herself and concentrated on the task on hand. Just as with her feelings, Daphne couldn't decide. She frantically tried it out at several places and hated it everywhere. Her inability to do something as simple as this brought angry tears to her eyes. Daphne wouldn't even admit to herself that the tears stemmed from the real problem and not the mistletoe. She just wouldn't.

The doorbell rang. Daphne stared at the door, unsure if the sound was merely a construct of her mind. When it rang again a moment later she knew it wasn't. She opened the door without losing a thought to who it could be.

"Hello Daphne." There he was; the man who she'd tried to keep from her mind.

"Dr. Crane." Daphne managed to get out.

"Is this a bad time? Have you been crying?" Naturally he would pick up on her tone of voice and see the shadows of her almost dried tears. And now Daphne knew why. The truth was written in his blue eyes, too. Like one of those silly messages in the sky. The image made her smile softly and it reminded her that this was still the same man she'd known for so long.

"Not at all, come in. I've staring at these lights for too long! Your father and brother aren't here."

"Oh. That's fine. I'm just here to drop off some presents." He motioned to the bag and Daphne nodded. She watched as he carefully took each present out and assorted them accordingly. Her eyes were glued to the scene. Daphne was certain she could hear him mumble things like 'this doesn't belong here' and 'oh Frasier why'. Once again there was a new side to him she never paid attention to. She felt guilty; here was this complex man and all she'd ever done was see him as Dr. Crane.

"Daphne, are you sure you're all right?"

"Huh? I'm fine. Fine."

"Why do you have mistletoe in your hands?" Dr. Crane was smiling and she couldn't quite tell if it was real or her imagination, but he seemed to be coming closer to her.

"I was thinking – I am not quite sure where to put it."

"Frasier hung it once many, many years ago. He and Maris ended up standing under it."

"They kissed?"

"No. Maris had a meltdown and made me leave the party. It was a lonely Christmas." He smiled at her, but couldn't completely hide the sadness that his long marriage had caused him.

"That can't happen anymore." Daphne reassured him. She'd always tried to be as patient and understanding with Maris Crane as possible. It hadn't been either and she was glad the woman was no longer part of their lives.

"No," he replied with a gentle smile, "but it could still turn into an awkward moment. Depending on who ends up under it this time."

"You think?" Daphne could only hope that Dr. Crane didn't hear her heart beat furiously. Surely he wasn't talking about her; but what if?

"Ah, I suppose it's a nice tradition and everyone will see it as such." This was the moment. Daphne knew there would never come a moment like this again. He was looking at her, maybe seeing something she didn't know was there. And she was looking at him, too. Still searching for an answer that could never be found this way. This was her one and only chance.

"What would you do if it were us under it?"

"You mean…"

"Would we kiss? Would it be awkward?" Daphne couldn't let go now.

"I- I honestly don't know."

"I think we should just… try it? There's no one here but us. No awkwardness." Daphne tried to soften the suggestion with a smile. She had been so proud of her plan. The look in Dr. Crane's eyes, however, she couldn't have anticipated that. Such terror, such fear. Without thinking about it, she touched his hand. There was no spark. Nothing unexpected happened. Except that Daphne suddenly knew. Her feelings flooded her; a gate had been opened. She finally understood. Just like he had never told her about his feelings for her, she had never allowed herself to feel anything but friendship for him. Now hearts opened along with their minds.

"I'd like to try." He breathed with a shaky voice. Daphne decided words were no longer needed. She leaned forwards and her lips landed on his. So soft, so sweet. His lips fit hers so perfectly that she wondered why they hadn't tried this years ago. They melted together; his hands on her back, hers on his neck. They existed only for each other at this particular moment in time.

"What is going on here?" Dr. Crane's boisterous voice burst their bubble and they jumped apart. He stood in the door with his angry eyes. Daphne was the first to regain her senses. Her hand tingled; she'd been squeezing the poor mistletoe. The mistletoe! She held it up like a saving grace.

"We were under the mistletoe!" She almost yelled at her boss, whose mouth stood open in shock.

"Yes, yes mistletoe." Niles nodded furiously. Daphne bit her lip; it still tasted like Niles. Oh yes, he would be Niles from now on. This would be their secret. Maybe she'd tell him what she'd heard him say. Later. Her own little secret seemed unimportant suddenly. This kiss had proven everything without any words.

"Is that all you have to say?" The elder Dr. Crane asked sternly.

"That's our story." Daphne said with a nod an a grin.

**THE END**


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